ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)---A new law allows the New York Thruway Authority to prohibit drivers from using the Thruway system if they don’t pay their tolls.
According to the Thruway Authority, this will be enforced primarily by New York State Police Troop T with the help of technology.
As for how long drivers would be prohibited, that depends. It could be permanently or for a specified time.
The Thruway Authority notes that before this happens, a driver's registration would already be suspended because of unpaid tolls. Therefore, they would be driving illegally and could have their vehicle impounded if pulled over.
A suspension of a driver's registration could happen after failure to respond to three or more notices of violation within a 5-year period, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles website.
https://dmv.ny.gov/registration/registration-suspensions-for-failure-to-pay-tolls
As the Thruway navigates toll challenges – there’s another effort to make driving the highway more affordable.
Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara recently introduced a bill to create a two-year pilot program allowing NY EZ pass users to drive the Thruway toll-free between the hours of 10 p.m.and 6 a.m.
"I think overall it could improve efficiency on the New York State Thruway," said Santabarbara. "I think it could give us some more even spread when people are actually using the Thruway. It’s business friendly, because I think businesses could take advantage of us if you’re in the trucking or logistics, you can plan on traveling during those off-peak hours. And it could relieve congestion making the system more efficient."
The bill is in committee and has yet to have a state senate sponsor. The assemblyman expects the legislation to have bipartisan support.
